Art attack for talented teens in Sheffield

Walkley Carnegie Library is offering local 13-18 year olds the opportunity to work with two exciting young Sheffield artists, to create their own street murals and outdoor art installations.

The workshops are part of a new local arts project, called Seeing Beauty, Inspiring Minds, funded by Arts Council England and the Guild of St George, run by Walkley Library in collaboration with Ruskin in Sheffield.

The project is inspired by Walkley's historical connections with John Ruskin, whose St George's Museum (1875 - 1890) was a stone's throw from Walkley Library. Ruskin believed that if people observed and drew the world around them, they would appreciate its beauty and see it clearly for themselves.

He was not afraid to talk publicly about issues that mattered to him, and this project invites 13-18 year-olds today to draw and make what's important to them  '“ and see it displayed in their local neighbourhood.

There are limited places for 10 teenagers in Sheffield to take part in six free street mural workshops at Walkley Library, South Road, with street artist Grace Foster, every Tuesday 4.30pm - 6.30pm from February 26 to April 2 2019.

Grace Foster works under the moniker of Fem Sorcell (femsorcell.com), creating fantastical and surreal murals inspired by nature, mythology, comics and animation.

There are another 10 places for teenagers to take part in six free sculpture workshops with installation artist Jack Poole, every Thursday 4.30pm - 6.30pm from February 28 to April 4 2019.

Jack Poole (poileart.com) is an engineer turned artist who specialises in transforming re- used, found and natural materials into stunning sculptures and installations.

Artworks created during the workshops will go on display around Walkley from May to July 2019. Displays about the project, including some of the artworks, will go on display at the Ruskin Gallery at the Millennium Gallery, as part of celebrations of the bicentenary of Ruskin's birth.

Places on the workshops must be booked in advance via [email protected] or 07751 437233.

The street mural and sculpture workshops follow a successful series of comic-book workshops at Walkley Library.

A group of teenagers attended on six evenings through November and December, battling through wind, rain, fog and freezing temperatures to make sure they completed their comic-strips to go in a book which is about to be printed.

The book they have created, called Seeing Things Differently, showcases the incredible talent of these young writers and artists, who focused on themes of what is beautiful and important to them.

The comic-book workshops were led by inspiring local writer Anne Grange, and top comic illustrator Bambos Georgiou, founder of the Sheffield Comic Network, so the comic-book promises to something quite special.

Businesses in Walkley are showing strong support for the project. A pub, supermarket, bakery and clothes shop have already offered to have street murals mounted on their shop fronts.

The comic books will be displayed in shops around Walkley - and of course, the library. And the sculptures will be placed in a prominent position outside the library to signal the library's role as a beacon of creativity in the neighbourhood.